jealous

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

adj. Fearful or wary of being supplanted; apprehensive of losing affection or position.

adj. Resentful or bitter in rivalry; envious: jealous of the success of others.

adj. Inclined to suspect rivalry.

adj. Having to do with or arising from feelings of envy, apprehension, or bitterness: jealous thoughts.

adj. Vigilant in guarding something: We are jealous of our good name.

adj. Intolerant of disloyalty or infidelity; autocratic: a jealous God.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

adj. Suspecting, suspicious.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English

adj. Zealous; solicitous; vigilant; anxiously watchful.

adj. Apprehensive; anxious; suspiciously watchful.

adj. Demanding exclusive devotion; intolerant of rivalry.

adj. Disposed to suspect rivalry in matters of interest and affection; apprehensive regarding the motives of possible rivals, or the fidelity of friends; distrustful; having morbid fear of rivalry in love or preference given to another; painfully suspicious of the faithfulness of husband, wife, or lover.

from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

Full of zeal; zealous in the service of a person or cause; solicitous for the honor or interests of one's self or of another, or of some institution, cause, etc.: followed by for.

Specifically Troubled by the suspicion or the knowledge that the love, good will, or success one desires to retain or secure has been diverted from one's self to another or others; suspicious or bitterly resentful of successful rivalry: absolute or followed by of with an object: as, a jealous husband or lover; to be jealous of a competitor in love or in business, of one's mistress, or of the attentions of others toward her.

In fact, the distinction is still very much alive in certain contexts. I don't think anyone would disagree that "a jealous husband" means something very different from "an envious husband". But whereas "envious" still cannot mean what "jealous" has traditionally meant (fearful about losing something one thinks one possesses); "jealous" has been encroaching on the territory of "envious".

Ru, that is the way I have always understood the distinction. But since the phrase, "I'm so jealous!" (which really is a kind of compliment when said to a friend -- meaning, essentially and paradoxically, "I celebrate your good fortune") has become ubiquitous, the finer distinction may be lost on the hoi polloi.

Have we discussed the difference between jealousy and envy around here anywhere? Is there a difference? I always think of jealousy as fear of losing something you already have and envy as desiring something you don't have. But I don't know that people make that distinction anymore (if they ever did).